Times-Picayune announcement prompts review of 'official journal' law

BATON ROUGE -- State law will have to be changed before the end of this legislative session to allow a non-daily newspaper in the New Orleans area to be the official journal for governmental advertising. lawmakers said Thursday.

File photoThe Times-Picayune has announced it will shift from publishing a daily print edition to three times a week, prompting lawmakers to review the state's "official journal" laws.

Reacting to the announcement that The Times-Picayune will be moving from publishing a daily print version to three days a week in print while expanding its online product, Sens. J.P. Morrell and Edwin Murray, both D-New Orleans, said that a state law dealing with its status as the legal journal for state and local government entities in the New Orleans area will change.

Murray said by state law legal notices -- such as council meeting minutes, meeting notices, court proceedings, foreclosures, successions, local bills and others -- have to be advertised in the "official journal" and in New Orleans that has been the daily newspaper.

Murray said if the law is not changed, legal challenges can be filed if advertising continues in a non-daily newspaper.

Morrell said the best way to handle the issue is probably revive a dormant bill and amend it or find a bill that is still moving through Legislature and tack on changes to the legal notices or journal laws.

The last day to pass a bill without special a special two-thirds vote is June 1. The session must end by 6 p.m. June 4.

Morrell said he sees three possible options: amending the present law to allow a non-daily newspaper in the New Orleans area to keep the journal status, "open it up for everybody to compete" for the legal notices in the area, or the "least likely" by allowing government entities and court proceedings to be advertised online or in a non-print format.

Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5810.